CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– Saturday night marked the first time where I won’t address Mack Brown as the head coach, but rather the former head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. His tenure came to an abrupt end with a devastating 35-30 loss to N.C. State at home.
Tight ends coach and run game coordinator Freddie Kitchens was named interim coach after Brown’s dismissal from the program became final. Kitchens will fill in for Brown at UNC’s bowl game as university administration continues to search for a new coach.
While this was UNC’s fourth consecutive loss to the Wolfpack, the news of Brown’s firing and his candid comments about the administration’s handling of his termination took center stage.
UNC will learn its bowl destination next Sunday after the conference championship games are done. According to quarterback Jacolby Criswell and edge rusher Kaimon Rucker, everyone on the team wants to play in a bowl, however it will depend on individual commitment and availability. The program last won a bowl game in 2019, defeating Temple but has struggled to secure a victory in subsequent seasons.
“Sally and I both agree that it was time for leadership change at the top, I was just disappointed in the way it was done,” Brown said on Saturday. “We could have had a joint press conference, and I could have stayed and we could have worked all this out where I worked here for a while, but that didn’t happen.”
Referring to his notes, Brown continued to express his excitement and optimism about the future, though he and his wife Sally remain uncertain about their next steps.
“I’m not mad. I’m not angry. We don’t know what we’ll do. Where we’ll live. But it’s such a wonderful life, a wonderful career. I’m proud of what we’ve done here and I’m leaving it better than I found it. My desk is cleaned out, phones turned in,” Brown said with a reflective smile.
He emphasized his commitment to the personal development of the players he coached, particularly highlighting Senior Night where 32 players were honored. Tomorrow’s dinner at the Kenan Football Center will conclude his duties and he charts a new path forward.
Brown’s 15-minute postgame conference concluded without questions, as he suggested that focus should shift to the new coaching leadership, currently represented by Kitchens.
“It wouldn’t be fair to the administration for me to answer questions without them sitting here to answer them as well,” he explained.
His six-year return to Chapel Hill did not meet the expectations of many. The turning point came during the fourth week of the season when the team lost to James Madison – initiating a four-game losing streak. Through seven games, the team remained below .500.
“After James Madison, we played awful and then they started looking for coaches, and they should have,” Brown said. “I felt like we probably couldn’t overcome that, but my job is to take care of those kids. Those seniors don’t have another year, so I’m not gonna quit on those seniors and not give them an opportunity to have a chance to move forward.”
Brown’s decisive manner of closing the press conference and his “getting out of the way” mindset suggest he is truly ready to move on. This approach might also reflect the evolving landscape of college football and the changing perspectives of veteran coaches.
Revealing his disappointment with the current state of college football, Brown candidly noted that the sport is increasingly resembling professional leagues, particularly with the development of revenue-sharing in college sports. He stated that the university lacks the financial resources to compete for higher-caliber players.
“For UNC, revenue-sharing will increase the program’s budget from around four million to 12,” Brown explained. “It’s a great time for me to get out. This isn’t the game I signed up for.”
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